97 The DHE is working with the deans of engineering, animal and human health, natural and physical science and teacher education faculties to increase the enrolment, success and throughput in identified scarce skills categories. Substantial funds have been allocated to deal with resource constraints through an infrastructure and efficiency grant. An amount of R1, 3 billion for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 financial years has been set aside for these study fields across all institutions. In spite of the great strides in delivering quality education, there are still enduring challenges. The recent (2012) example of shortage of textbooks in Limpopo and Eastern Cape provinces underlines the need to strengthen mechanisms of delivery and monitoring. 3.4.4 Ensuring affordable access to shelter, water and sanitation to all citizen (basic services), especially the rural poor One of the key indicators of sustainable development is the improved quality of life of all citizens. Access to shelter, water and sanitation are important contributors to the key indicators of an improving quality of life. Access to water use licenses is crucial to service delivery and development, especially in rural areas. In pursuit of this goal, nine regional bulk infrastructure projects were completed and 47 municipalities were supported in implementing water conservation and demand management intervention measures to ensure water savings. As a result of the implementation of the Accelerated Community Infrastructure Programme, a total of 62,945,297 cubic meters of water was saved against the planned three million cubic meters. Eight hundred and ten (810) municipal waste water treatment and 914 water treatment facilities were assessed during the 2010/2011 financial year, in order to ensure that they meet the required standards. Private sector and government have also improved their partnership by establishing partnership platforms which address water access challenges in communities. In order to enhance environmental sustainability, in 2011, the government formed a partnership with the private sector in an attempt to close the water volume gap by 2030. This platform, called the Strategic Water Partners Network (SWPN), is an informal public and private sector collaboration mechanism that is implementing projects which are expected to set a precedent in promoting investment in the water sector. Representative companies come from the mining, energy, resources and beer sectors. The South African government continues to extend land tenure to the poor through a compendium of residential housing schemes. During the reporting period, hundreds of units were constructed. However, this is eroded by the fact that the same recipients of the scheme sell their allocated houses and return to informal settlements because of the heavy burden of high electricity costs, rates and services. It remains to be seen if the municipal subsidy of R275 per month for the poorest households will enhance retention of government provided houses. A strong programme and institutional mechanism for social housing delivery has been put in place. Informal settlement upgrading is getting the requisite support and resources and plans are being put in place to acquire appropriately located land for housing development. The partial accreditation of eight municipalities towards the full assignment of the housing function will assist with integrated planning for services, infrastructure and housing linked by 97